What Years Are Mid-1980s? A Dim Wit's Guide...

What would Lou Beale have said? 'Youngsters nowadays, they know nuffink! Weren't like this in my day...' - or something like that...

It's recently come to our attention that various writers on-line are not very bright. There's no doubt that Tim Berners-Lee's invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 has created many marvels, but wallies from BT to the BBC from the Guardian to the Daily Mail - in fact all over - are proving more than ever that they are not very clever.

Take decades. What is an 'early' decade? Well, we designate the opening year as 'early', of course, so, in the case of, say, the 1980s, we would take 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 into the early sweep. What is a 'mid' decade? Well, we would start with the '4' year which sees the decade working up to its midway point, and then go on, so, in the 1980s case, 1984, 1985 and 1986. The 'mid' is always the '5' year and the two years adjacent to it. The 'late decade' is the last three years - so, with the 1980s, 1987, 1988 and 1989. 

It's not rocket science. But recently I've read articles in apparently 'educated' online journals and newspapers and on apparently 'educated' websites designating 1964 as the early 1960s, 1986 as the late 1980s, 1976 as the late 1970s and so on. It's a widespread trend.

Under that logic there are no 'mid-decade' years.

Oh, and especially for the BBC, the 1980s entered their second half on 1 January, 1985 - when they were five years old. Five add five equals ten... a decade... OK, yah, BBC?

On the BBC's Top of The Pops Story of 1986 programme, Mel Giedroyc burbled: 'As the decade entered its second half'. It was six years old on 1 January 1986. Twelve years in the 1980s were there, Mel?

Plain daft.

Sometimes I despair...

March 1989 - and Sir Tim Berners Lee's original invention document for the World Wide Web. It's given us so much. Sadly, including sub-primary school logic from 'educated' sources...